Housed in an 1850s royal-blue coaching inn in the Dorset town of Bridport, The Bull Hotel has been done up in full vintage-chic, pairing stripped wood floors and tasteful antiques paired with bold fabrics and patterns. A relaxed restaurant offers a menu of fantastic local fare – with superlative seafood – while, in the converted barn, a second, more casual restaurant serves stone-baked pizzas and an impressive selection of ciders. A great value, The Bull Hotel is family-friendly and perfectly situated for exploring the Jurassic Coast.

Check–Out

Rates

More details

Also

The Bull Hotel has a bright and beautiful Victorian ballroom with a minstrels’ gallery that can be used for wedding parties of up to 110 people.

At the hotel

Courtyard, games room with a DVD player and DVD library. Space for bicycles to be parked. In rooms, deluxe bed, flatscreen TV, black‑out blinds, free WiFi, robes, Bramley toiletries.

Our favourite rooms

The Red Four‑Poster Room (104) will kindle romance with its vividly hued walls, gorgeous bed and vintage roll‑top bath. The Palm Double (201) is a Master Room with bold palm-printed wallpaper and lamps with palm-tree stems. The three Family Rooms (301, 108, 106) have unique details and vivid wallpapers, and couples can get very cosy in the Snug Rooms' cabin-style beds.

Packing tips

Kites, jelly shoes and frisbees for the beach.

Also

Two-night minimum stay at weekends.

Children

Very welcome. Family Rooms have bunk-beds and space for a cot; there's a £30 charge (a child a night) for an extra bed for all other room types. There's a kids menu with trusted favourites and table football in the Ostler Room.

Overview

More than welcome: there are three Family Rooms with bunk beds; cots can be added for free, on request.

Best for

Babies and up – children of all ages welcomed.

Recommended rooms

With bunk-beds and space for a cot, if needed, the Family Rooms are the best option for broods.

Activities

You can walk to the nearest beaches at Lyme Bay, or go on a fishing trip from nearby West Bay. Lulu, the hotel's dog, is well behaved with children and loves to be taken for a walk.

Meals

Children are welcome in the restaurant at all times. The chef has devised a tempting children's menu with simple yet tasty dishes (fish and chips, grilled chicken and veggies, sausages and mash), and the kitchen is happy to heat up bottles and baby food, store children's food in the fridge, and provide packed lunches.

No need to pack

There are high chairs in the restaurant. Bramley toiletries provided in the bathrooms are gentle enough for children to use.

Also

Be aware that the hotel's car park is quite small and gets full fairly quickly. There is a public car park only 50 metres away.

Food and Drink

Top Table

On fine days, outside in the former stableyard; on cold ones, by the fire.

Dress Code

Vintage English weekend wear.

Hotel restaurant

The neutral‑toned restaurant is informal enough to make you feel as though you’re dining at a friend’s house – a friend who’s extremely handy in the kitchen, mind. Chef George Marsh's seafood‑focused menu has netted press plaudits aplenty, and is on offer till 9.30pm.

Hotel bar

Venner Bar (open from Wednesday to Saturday, and occasional summer and bank-holiday Sundays) is named after a 17th‑century perpetrator of the Monmouth Rebellion who was involved in a shoot out in the Bull; but today the only shots you’ll hear are the ones being poured at the bar. On Friday evenings there are free canapés to kick off the weekend with at 6.30pm; arrive on time, these can go fast. Last orders run till late.

Last orders

Lunch is on offer between noon and 3pm, dinner from 6.30pm to 9.30pm in the restaurant. Check with the hotel before you head out for an appetite-building ramble, as times can vary. The Venner Bar serves from 5pm till late.

Room service

The full restaurant menu – plus anything bespoke that the chef can rustle up – is on offer during normal kitchen hours.

Location

Address

Planes

From London Heathrow, the drive will take two and a half hours. Bournemouth airport is the closest, around an hour's drive, or fly into Southampton, an 80-minute drive from the Bull.

Trains

The nearest main station is Dorchester, a 25-minute drive from the hotel. From London Waterloo, the journey will take two and a half hours. Axminster and Crewkerne stations are both under 30 minutes away.

Automobiles

Driving from London will take around three hours. The A35 will assist your journey west. Limited parking is available. If you don't get a space, there's an alternative car park down the road.

Worth getting out of bed for

There are seaside and countryside walks aplenty from Bridport: go for a sea‑breezy walk on the beach; inland, follow the Brit Valley Way, which starts at West Bay. Otherwise, enjoy gently ambling through town and wobbling from gastropub to antiquarian bookshop to tearoom. You're at the official gateway to the Jurassic Coast, so fossil hunters are occasionally rewarded with rock-bound treasures uncovered along the strand. To see the spectacular coastal and countryside views with ease, try a electric bike tour with an experienced local guide from Jurassic Electric.

Local restaurants

The Stable, a restaurant in the coaching inn behind the hotel, is a casual affair, with stone‑baked pizzas, pies and 57 varieties of cider on offer. In West Bay, the Riverside Restaurant serves up the very best fresh fish in a charming seasidey setting; you’ll need a reservation. On Saturdays and during school holidays, Bridport’s Electric Palace provides family‑friendly meals, although it’s no longer the proper brasserie it once was.

Local cafés

Have lunch or cream tea at the Hive Beach Café in Burton Bradstock, an alfresco favourite with award‑winning ice creams and smashing seafood. Bella’s at 7 South Street in Bucky Doo Square serves delicious home-made cakes, soup and sandwiches. Stop at Rachel's in the centre of West Bay, a kiosk serving fine sea fare such as chowder, crab salads, prawn platters.

Local bars

Beach & Barnicott is a grade II‑listed gastropub in Bridport and a fine place for a cosy drink – with good food, too.

Reviews

Anonymous review

‘When I am president of the world,’ said Mr Smith, gazing about him as we stood before the open fire waiting to check into the Bull Hotel in Dorset, ‘all hotels will look like this.’ The Bull Hotel was bought by Richard and Nikki Cooper in 2006 (‘It was all a bit Fawlty Towers before then,’ confides one local shopkeeper) and they’ve worked swiftly and successfully to restore a beloved (and grade II-listed) building to its former Georgian glory. Downstairs, the lobby, bar and gastropub restaurant are replete with stripped floorboards, wood-burning stoves, and wood panelling adorned with the duck egg/sage hues so typical of Farrow & Ball. Modern furniture, with a hint of the 1970s, provides the requisite contemporary injection.

As soon as we get to inspect the bedrooms, we see that, in here, Nikki and Richard have given themselves a freer, more extravagant hand. Cole & Son and Manuel Canovas papers feature on accent walls, setting off the shiny Philip Hunt furniture, Frette bedlinen and silk-canopied four-poster beds. And there are vintage mir rors, chests and wardrobes from Parisian fleamarkets and the antiques shops with which Bridport and its outskirts are liberally sprinkled. Beautiful roll-top baths – in our case set on a wooden platform in the bedroom – hit just the right note of louche decadence for a romantic weekend away. The bathroom itself had a huge shower, and was stocked with Neal’s Yard toiletries. Other bedroom goodies include a flatscreen TV and Tivoli radio. (Mr Smith and I can’t quite decide whether staying in a hotel with better shampoo and electronics than you have at home makes you feel impossibly decadent or impossibly inadequate, but we conclude it’s a good conundrum to mull over while we test them all out.)

In the morning, it’s shaping up to be a beautiful day in Bridport. The Bull’s windows are pushed up and the French doors opened, leading those who fancy breakfasting alfresco onto the suntrap of a courtyard. We linger for so long over delicious bacon, eggs and all the trimmings that we decide just to pop round the corner to the excellently named Bucky Doo Square before lunch. There, after a cup of tea in the Beach & Barnicott, with its eclectic mix of clients – from cheerful Aussie hikers to a grumpy old man who may have grown out of the Georgian panelling itself – we find Bridport Old Books. This wonderful second-hand book shop comes complete with an owner whom we witnessed gamely trying to explain Shakespearian sonnets to a teenager. Hearts warmed, we sauntered back to the Bull for lunch.

We’re aware that Bridport is rapidly becoming the foodie’s destination of choice: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s nearby River Cottage has helped to spotlight the region’s plentiful farm-and-sea-fresh produce. What we didn’t realise was that the Bull employs chef Matt Cook, formerly of Marco Pierre White’s Talkhouse in Oxford. I have never been so pleased to arrive anywhere this hungry. Dinner is divine: little throaty moans of pleasure emanate from Mr Smith as he polishes off mash, gravy and sausages with more actual-factual meat in them than in most supermarkets’ entire meat and poultry aisles. He assures me that similar noises could be heard from my side of the table as I tucked into beef medallions that barely needed chewing and delectably crispy potato rösti that, after a lifetime of oven-parched offerings in lesser gastropubs, were a breath of oxygen-rich fresh air. Ditto the next day’s home-cured gravadlax lunch, and dinner of locally dived scallops and iced strawberry soufflé.

We justify our gargantuan appetites with a slow-paced afternoon utilising one of the Bull’s more personal touches, which is that they will drop you off and pick you up at a number of the local walks in return for taking their pet spaniel, Lulu, with you. Mr Smith not only loves dogs but also windswept seaside walks. So, we spend some happy hours striding across spectacular parts of the Jurassic coast.

For our follow-up hike, after surrendering Lulu to a better Bull couple (one with energetic, stick-and-frisbee-throwing children), we hit West Bay’s pebble beach, which is bracketed by sandstone cliffs on one side and old-fashioned pubs and fish ’n’ chips kiosks on the other. Walking back, we pass an elderly lady in her garden, who overhears me comment to Mr Smith on the gorgeous hot-pink flowers by the wall. ‘They’re wild gladioli, dear!’ she trumpets gaily. ‘You can’t buy them in the garden centres.’ She trowels up a cluster of corms and thrusts them into my hands. ‘They’ll spread!’ she reassures. ‘And that,’ says Mr Smith after we’ve thanked her and resumed our walk, ‘is why we have to move to the countryside. Londoners rarely bother giving people in the street a smile. Here, they give you flowers.’

On our final day, Lyme Regis is on our agenda. It’s altogether lovely and, although I don’t accrue any additions to my garden, it deserves a special mention for having been a favoured summer haunt of Jane Austen back in the day – and yet not sporting even a single ‘Jamsfield Park’ tearoom or gift shop devoted to selling Elizabeth Bennet tea towels and Colin Firth swimming trunks.

There’s a slight chill in the air when we get back to the hotel, and the Bull has drawn itself close round its flickering fires. We curl up on the sofa in the bar, listening to the murmurs of contented diners from across the passageway, and I suddenly realise that although Bridport is in essence a seaside town, the Bull will be just as good as a cosy winter retreat. The thought that I won’t have to wait until next summer to return draws the sting out of our departure. The Bull Hotel is so charming, friendly, thoughtful and relaxed – it’s not just the food that makes you sigh with pleasure – we very much hate to leave. But we must. As Mr Smith reminds me, I do, after all, have gladioli to plant.

The Guestbook

Whenever you book a stay at a Smith hotel or villa, we’ll invite you to review it when you get back. Read what other Smith members had to say in The Bull Hotel’s Guestbook below.

We loved

We tend to prefer boutique hotels to big chains, and this is a great boutique hotel! It has a unique feel, very friendly and helpful staff, nicely decorated and spacious rooms and a great restaurant. The location is right in the middle of old town Bridport. Bridport itself is also a great, friendly and cheerful town, which adds to the appeal of the hotel. There are other really good restaurants closeby, like the Olive Tree, that are worth trying. Highly recommend it!

Rating

ByTarlton, BlackSmith

Stayed on 24 Aug 2018

We loved

Location of the hotel in Bridport was great for exploring the Jurassic Coast. The cocktail bar is a hidden gem. Staff are friendly and the decoration of the hotel and courtyard were both very nice. West Bay is great for a morning stroll along the beach and over the cliff and has some great food places to relax after.

Don’t expect

Too much peace and quiet if you are in a downstairs courtyard room – you can hear every footstep and noise from the room above. Beds are pretty hard. Food is OK but not amazing. Parking is tight and busy so can be stressful.

Rating

BySarah, BlackSmith

Stayed on 30 Mar 2018

We loved

Our three-night stay was absolutely wonderful, with tasty breakfasts and we also had a fantastic lunch and evening meal with them. Great and really friendly staff. We got a complimentary room upgrade and it was a truly lovely room. We would highly recommend this special hotel. Interesting local market, and some other wonderful local pubs and great food. West Bay is worth a visit.

Don’t expect

Not one for the young at heart, as there is limited nightlife, but this was absolutely fine by us!

Rating

ByJo, BlackSmith

Stayed on 23 Mar 2018

We loved

On arrival we were greeted with such a warm and a delightful welcome. Our room was so beautiful and the breakfast was lovely, with so much to choose from. I will point out that we would most definitely visit the Bull Hotel again. Thank you so much.

Rating

ByMaria, BlackSmith

Stayed on 17 Mar 2018

We loved

The room and its decor, the location in central Bridport, its location close to the coast and the glass of champagne with dinner. Olive Tree Restaurant; Hive Cafe at Hive beach

Rating

ByMark, BlackSmith

Stayed on 1 Jan 2018

We loved

We loved everything about the hotel from the rooms to the food and the staff. Visited the hive café on the beach at Burton Bradstock – a lovely café.

Rating

BySonia, BlackSmith

Stayed on 28 Nov 2017

We loved

Upon arrival at a late hour we were upgraded to a larger room: it was a fantastic, massive room beyond our dreams – beautiful in every way. This hotel is boutique a class above all; at breakfast it gets better, the service is excellent, but to beat that is the perfectly-cooked breakfast. We spent two days there and for me it is the best hotel anywhere I have ever been, and I've been all over the world. It was my honeymoon. Can't beat the service, the food or the hospitality. Bridport is a market town and beautiful, just wish we'd booked a week. 10 out of 10 and thank you for a place to remember to come back to x

Rating

BySally, BlackSmith

Stayed on 3 Nov 2017

We loved

Pleasant friendly staff and excellent food. It was great to explore Bridport – no longer the sleepy town I remembered from my youth.

Don’t expect

Rating

ByTina, BlackSmith

Stayed on 24 Oct 2017

We loved

Our room, the food, the friendly staff. Rachel's fish restaurant, West Bay and Burton Bradstock beaches and the Hive Cafe.

Don’t expect

To relax in the lounge, it's across the courtyard and also used for TV and games.

Rating

ByJulie, BlackSmith

Stayed on 20 Oct 2017

We loved

The large, comfy bed and large walk in shower. Good breakfast – lots of choice and al perfectly cooked, the scrambled eggs with smoked salmon were divine! Beautifully cooked steaks at dinner. Very friendly, attentive staff.

Don’t expect

No cupboard storage for clothes. There was some wall-mounted hanging provided but had to live out of a suitcase which was difficult. The room felt very warm at all times and we were able to open the windows only very slightly. An air conditioning fan was provided which helped a little – had to keep it on overnight but found it difficult to sleep because of the noise. Beautifully decorated but somewhat style over substance. Bar area with tables and chairs but no relaxing lounge area.

Rating

ByAnn, BlackSmith

Stayed on 10 Oct 2017

We loved

The central location, free car parking at the rear and a good breakfast. Very friendly staff. The rooms are quite quirkily decorated.

Don’t expect

Views or quiet. It's a typical high street hotel converted from an old coaching inn with some rooms overlooking the courtyard.

Rating

ByLyn, BlackSmith

Stayed on 26 Sep 2017

We loved

The courtyard and the generous room size.

Don’t expect

Londonesque pubs, restauarants or shopping.

Rating

ByNicoletta, BlackSmith

Stayed on 26 Aug 2017

We loved

Great location with a very professional team. First class facilities. Cannot recommend it highly enough. Mr Wafed Alsmarat was most attentive and ensured our visit flowed. The concierge desk was also very good.

Rating

ByRichard, BlackSmith

Stayed on 6 Aug 2017

We loved

Friendly hotel team and amazing meal. Lovely garden to enjoy on a summers evening.

Don’t expect

To find the car park easily...

Rating

ByDominic, SilverSmith

Stayed on 13 Jun 2017

We loved

The friendly, helpful staff. The beautifully planted courtyard, perfect for a relaxing drink. Most of all, the amazing bedroom. The Thai restaurant opposite The Bull Hotel served great food and had a delightful lady owner.

Rating

ByElizabeth, BlackSmith

Stayed on 23 May 2017

We loved

Our room. The ambience of casual happiness. The amazingly friendly staff's helpfulness. Birthday dinner complete with cake knife for our home made cake which they had stored in their fridge. The beaches are superb. West Bay for busy family activity one and Charmouth long sandy one for a stroll along fossil central!

Don’t expect

Posh people-watching posers.

Rating

ByRosalind, BlackSmith

Stayed on 19 Apr 2017

We loved

Family room. Great having our toddler next door. The courtyard is lovely. Perfect for a relaxing afternoon vino!

Don’t expect

The food to be amazing!

Rating

ByLorraine, BlackSmith

Stayed on 26 Mar 2017

We loved

Rating

ByIain, BlackSmith

Stayed on 5 Feb 2017

We loved

The Bull is a atmospheric coaching Inn in Bridport. The conversion to a boutique hotel has been done with great flair and attention to detail. The staff are welcoming and the service excellent and friendly. The building is really interesting and there is a sprung dance floor in the old Ballroom. The rooms are individual, carefully planned and with high quality sheets, towels and toiletries. All was scrupulously clean. We were given a free upgrade to a room with a four-poster bed - the staff said that they gave special attention to guests booking through Mr & Mrs Smith and try to give upgrades if available. The breakfast was beautifully cooked to order. Really enjoyed our visit and will go again. Bridport is an interesting town with lots of quirky small independent shops, vintage clothing and antique arcades and is near to some great Dorset attractions including West Bay ( where the series Broadchurch was filmed), the Jurassic coast, Lyme Bay, Dorchester (home of Thomas Hardy), great coastal walks, and Weymouth (base of Olympic sailing). The Olive Tree restaurant is just across the road and is one of the best fish restaurants in Dorset and is reasonably priced.